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Jealous	By : kgemeni Category: A through F > Forgotten Realms Views: 2986 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the Forgotten Realms series, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1-Jealous
- 2-Chapter 2
- 3-Chapter 3
- 4-4
- 5-Chapter 5
- 6-Six
- 7-Seven
- 8-Eight
- 9-Nine
- 10-10
- 11-11
- 12-12: Servant of the Shard
- 13-13
- 14-14
- 9
- 10
- 11
Chapter 10
---------------
"Is that it?" Jarlaxle asked.
Artemis turned around to look at him. They were standing in the middle of his bedroom, and his clenched fists made it clear that this was not where he wanted to stop for a conversation.
"Is what it?"
"Are you just going to walk away?" Jarlaxle asked, tilting his head at the man and smiling. "Is that all there is to the conversation?"
"Yes."
Jarlaxle threw open his arms, grinning broadly. "Then you forgive me!"
Artemis stared at him. At last, he said, "I have never forgiven anyone."
Jarlaxle lowered his arms. The grin became the smile of drow. "Then what is your revenge?"
"I don't have a plan," Artemis said. He had a dead spot in the center of his chest consuming anything he could possibly have felt at this point, and the fact that it was a bad idea to tell anyone, much less Jarlaxle, that he didn't have a plan, didn't matter to him at this point. In fact, part of him wanted to talk about the dead spot inside his chest. If he could dig into Jarlaxle's soft spot and tear out a chunk of it, that would be his revenge. If Jarlaxle did care, then he'd exposed himself to the worst enemy he could possibly have imagined. The urge stirred in Artemis to verbally tear out Jarlaxle's throat.
Jarlaxle appeared to sense this. He was suddenly looking uneasy. "What are you thinking?"
"Did you want to help?" Artemis asked.
"Yes. I did. I do."
"You failed."
"You don't know that," Jarlaxle said, looking a little reproachful. "Pouring alcohol on a wound hurts, but you know as well as I that it staves off infection. Just as leeches can suck out poison and maggots can cure gangrene. Just because it looks bad doesn't mean it is. I could have helped you. You need to give it time."
"Time festers," Artemis stated.
"Let me cure you," Jarlaxle said.
"Why?"
Jarlaxle stared at him. He hadn't expected this answer. Why? Why wouldn't Artemis want to be cured?
"Even if you could, and even if I were to trust you, what would make you believe I have any desire to be anything but what I am? Dead, soulless, and unfulfilled."
"Because you just said you were dead, soulless, and unfilfilled," Jarlaxle pointed out. "You can't use those adjectives in anything other than a negative way. Now, you're being foolish, and argumentative. It serves no purpose of anyone's to keep you as miserable as you are right now."
"Then tell me you didn't rape me."
The mercenary's words were halting. "I did use physical means to convince you."
"You could have said no. Why else did you say this but that you feel guilty?"
Jarlaxle stared at him. He had never been faced with this kind of interrogation before. What was he supposed to say? Zaknafein never put him through this. Zaknafein understood. He never asked Jarlaxle why he did things. "Yes...?"
"That means...because you feel guilty...that you know it was wrong."
"Wrong?" Jarlaxle was struggling to reconcile the translation the magic whistle around his neck gave him with his understanding. Wrong was...was...He didn't know how to describe it to himself in terms of drow society. It didn't happen. Wrong was death.
Here Artemis said 'wrong' was...not doing because it shouldn't be done, and it shouldn't be done because it was 'wrong'. Jarlaxle held his head in his hands. "I don't understand. It's circular logic you're using, Artemis! It doesn't make any sense." 'Wrong' was unacceptable, because it was...it was...
"I can't do this!" Jarlaxle was about to storm out of the room.
"I can't let you escape thinking about it," Artemis said. he stared at the drow mercenary. It was as he had been in Menzoberranzan- he had been faced with the lies he'd told himself about his path as an assassin. Because Jarlaxle had forced him to reconcile his ideas with the obvious truth. He knew that no one had ever forced Jarlaxle to do anything. Jarlaxle had never thought a single thought he didn't want to have.
Jarlaxle froze, and slowly turned around. "What did you say?"
"I said, I can't let you leave."
Jarlaxle narrowed his eyes, and he almost drew his dagger. Then he stopped, and forcibly straightened with his arms at his sides. "What is this you're doing, Artemis?"
Artemis' eye contact was unwavering. "I am making you face what you made me face."
"I don't want to hurt you, but I will."
Amazingly, Artemis visibly relaxed, and even smiled, raising an eyebrow at him. "Is that what you have to say? You'll hurt me, because you don't want to?"
Jarlaxle paused, confused. "I -" He scowled. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Crenshinibon chose this moment to wake up and watch what was going on. This is his revenge, Crenshinibon silently said. He is trying to drive you mad, to keep you here in revenge for your deed. Don't listen.
Jarlaxle irritably shoved Crenshinibon out of his head. He didn't need yet another person talking to him, diverting his concentration.
"You do things you don't want to do," Artemis insisted, holding his hands out palm up to show he meant no harm by his words. "And then you don't deny your desires, even when they're wrong, because you feel that you have censored yourself too much already."
Jarlaxle frowned dubiously. There was some truth to these words, but he didn't like Artemis slipping in the word 'wrong' again when he still couldn't conclusively pin down what it meant. "What are you getting at, Artemis? What is your deal?"
"I don't have a deal," Artemis admitted. He looked down at the floor. But then, as he seemed to think, his expression changed. The assassin looked Jarlaxle in the eye. "That is...I do. After thinking about it."
"Go on."
Artemis' expression was matter-of-fact, and sharply observant. "You want me, don't you?"
"Yes," Jarlaxle protested. "You know that. Why make me say it?"
Artemis crossed his arms. "You want me, and you shall have me - if you can manage to abide by my rules."
Jarlaxle was speechless. "...Why?"
"That is the only thing I can think of to save the situation," Artemis said. He suddenly looked tired. "I can't go on fearing you'll take advantage of me again, and you can't go on being tempted to do just that. I'll let you have me, but in exchange for a price. You, Jarlaxle, will not do anything I say is wrong."
Jarlaxle opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Do what you say? Why? I'll be subjected to your whims?
"Then we'll both learn something," Artemis said. "I'll learn if what you have to offer is worth anything. You'll learn what 'wrong' is."
He held out his hand.
Jarlaxle looked at it. "You're proposing..."
"I am."
"You're saying that you truly mean..."
"I do."
Jarlaxle took his hand.
- 9
- 10
- 11
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Jealous